My cell phone rang 8:00 the next morning, it was the man who owns the property damaged by my sons accident. The man wanted to know how I would pay for his damaged fence. Prior to making the call he knew the following: a teenager flew off of his bike and broke three posts on his fence, the boy was seriously injured and airlifted to John Muir and somehow he knew my cell phone number.
What he did not know when he placed the call was whether the boy was alive or, if alive, had brain or spine injuries. We are very lucky. Our son does not have head neck or spine injuries. His bones where badly broken and he was operated on that evening. Though his life has been interrupted, his life will continue.
What the man who had his fence replaced quicker than my son walked again doesn't know is that my son is an excellent student, an honors jazz musician and simply hit a bump in the road.
My husband and I paid the fencing company for the fence, $750 is not going to cause us stress. The poor timing and lack of compassion shown by the property owner did. I hope, in the future, when an older resident of the Town of Danville sees a teenager riding a skateboard or their bike or talking a bit too loud in a store they realize these are the sons or daughters of other Town of Danville residents.
The man who placed the call had no idea what the answer to "How is your son?" would be. He cared only that his property be fixed. How unfortunate someone in our community, the community I was raised in, could be so heartless. I hope our prompt replacement of his fence will teach him that sometimes accidents happen, sometimes they involve good teenage boys who have families and friends and cannot be replaced like his fence.
